Olympus PEN Firmware Update- Part 3

2- ViewFinders

This is where we get down to the camera body upgrade! We have always been strong believers in using viewfinders with non-SLR cameras. Yes, using the built-in LCD provides great focusing and framing accuracy but they are very difficult to use in bright sunlight.

When using the Olympus PEN MILCs the photographer is limited to using the LCD because there is no built in viewfinder. Fortunately, Olympus recognized this limitation early on and made changes to the PEN bodies that will allow the use of electronic viewfinders that show the same image as the rear LCD.

Olympus currently makes three different viewfnders and we have used all of them.They are the VF-1 Optical View Finder and the VF-2 and VF-3 Electronic View Finders. The VF-2 is optical only and is designed to be used with the excellent 17mm f/2.8 lens. Both the VF-2 and VF-3 and electronic and are installed on compatible cameras through a slot below the built-in hot shoe.

The VF-1 has proven to be a perfect addition to our E-P1 camera body. We leave the 17mm lens, which is a 34mm equivalent on a 35mm format camera, on the body 99% of the time with the VF-1 on it. We added a sunshade to the outfit and it has the look and feel of a Leica M-series rangefinder camera of old. It is a perfect “street camera” and we love the combination. If we only had a red Porsche 356 rag-top to drive it around in!

We have used the VF-2 on multiple bodies including an E-PL1 and two E-P3’s. It functions perfectly with all of them and provides a very bright, clear image to focus and frame with. We used the VF-2 in the Quantico debacle and it provided us with better performance than the lens did. It also went with us on the cruise and proved itself to be a invaluable tool. We were able to focus the two manual focus lenses with no problems at all. We can honestly say that this is a “must have” accessory for all PEN users!

Recently we added the VF-3 to our equipment kit and that’s where we ran into a compatibility problem. It turns out that the VF-3 requires a firmware update if it is used on the E-P2, E-PL1, E-PL1S, E-PL-2 or XZ-1. Since we wanted to use the VF-3 on an E-PL1 we had to do the firmware update.

We went to the Product Support page for the E-PL1 on olympusamerica.com and chose the version 1.2 firmware update which clearly shows as the VF-3 update. We downloaded the software and connected the E-PL1 to the laptop via the cable that came with the camera. The camera was recognized easily and the process went smoothly. A few minutes after we started we got an OK on the camera’s LCD which indicated that everything was done.

The next step was to install the VF-3 and try it out. The viewfinder didn’t work at all before the update but worked perfectly with the 1.2 firmware installed.

There are some differences between the VF-2 and VF-3 other than the firmware requirement. The VF-2 is slightly larger than the VF-3 and has better resolution, The VF-3 has a lock that clicks into place while the VF-2 is just a friction fit. Both have diopter adjustments but they are located in different places.

Both the VF-2 and VF-3 provide a bright, easy to use view that show what would be viewed of the LCD. They also both turn the LCD off when the VF is in use and the button on the back of the VF is pushed (it’s an ON/OFF switch). Since the VF-1 is strictly optical, the rear LCD on whatever camera body it is used stays on even if you’re using the viewfinder.

The bottom line is: if you have an Olympus PEN camera then you need to have an external viewfinder. Which one you need will vary, of course, depending on your personal needs and pocketbook.